Santa Anita Park: Grade II San Marcos

The Grade II San Marcos is the highlight race of MLK Day at Santa Anita Park. It's cloudy out here in SoCal, but the clouds might not last and it might not rain.

That means that the San Marcos, run 1 1/4 miles over the lawn, shouldn't have to switch to the Pro-Ride surface.

If the San Marcos stays on the lawn, then the obvious play to me is the 8 top 1 morning line Marsh Side.

Out of the Neil Drysdale barn, Marsh Side was last seen upsetting Dr. Dino in the Grade I Canadien International. He looked brilliant in that race. Now, he comes into this off of a lay-off. Can he continue to improve? I think so.

I also like Spring House to bounce back after two sup-bar efforts at those 5 to 1 morning line odds and Stream Cat, at 4 to 1, and Artiste Royale, at 3 to 1, to make their presence felt.

Good Luck!

NFL: Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Even though the Steelers are 5 1/2 favorites at home to beat the Ravens for the third time this season, there's no doubt that the bird, the bird, the bird is the word in this game!

Baltimore is easily one of the best defensive teams that has ever stepped onto the football field and rookie quarterback Joe Flacco is becoming a master at throwing the long ball to Mark Clayton.

This is a good team and for the Steelers to beat them, with an injured Troy Polamalu, a lot has to go the Steelers' way.

I love Pittsburgh. I picked them to win the Super Bowl at the beginning of the season, but there is definitely something special about this Ravens team.

I'm going with the Ravens to not only beat the 5 1/2 point spread but to beat the Steelers straight-up at + 200.

NFL: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals host the Eagles for the right to go to the Super Bowl. This is a huge surprise since all of the talk at the beginning of the year regarding the NFC was about the Cowboys and Giants.

The Eagles needed everything to break their way in the last game of the regular season and it did.

The Cardinals needed to get off of a terrible losing streak and beat the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers to get here and they did.

Who has the upper-hand in this game? Actually, it's Arizona. Nobody on the Eagles' defense can cover top wide receiver Larry Fitzgerals and 'Zona's D has been playing better than any unit in the playoffs.

The Eagles have options on offense but on defense Jimmi Johnson blitz schemes will be put to the test by Kurt Warner who can read the blitz better than anybody.

I have to go with the home underdog in this one.

I'm betting the Arizona Cardinals to win the game straight-up at around + 160 on the money line.

NFL: San Diego Chargers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

The San Diego Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers played a classic during the regular season with the Steelers pulling out an 11 to 10 victory.

Why are the Steelers 6 point favorites in this game when that game was so close? First, LaDanian Tomlinson is hurt. Second, as good as his back-up, Darren Sproles, is, the Steel-Men have enough speed on defense to keep Sproles in check.

To me, that will be the key. The Chargers' D is going to have to really fight to get to quarterback "Big" Ben Roethelisberger and Pittsburgh has a much better running game than the Colts, whom the Chargers beat last Sunday.

I like the Steelers to cover in this one. I'm partial to the Chargers because they were really screwed by the NFL schedulers this season, but I can't take them. I have to go with the Steelers.

The Steelers should win by between 7 to 10 points in this game.

NFL: Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants

Did we just witness the end of Jake Delhomme's career? I'm not sure a human being can bounce back from the thrashing he took at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals last night. Seriously! That was an ass-whipping! Congratulations to the Cardinals who definitely proved me wrong.

The New York Giants will be trying to end Donovan McNabb's career in their game against the Philadelphia Eagles this morning. I don't believe McNabb is necessarily as good or better of a quarterback than Delhomme. He has, though, been through the fire once before and knows how to win.

But he doesn't know how to win the way the entire Giants' organization does. That's the key to me. The G-Men are just the most professional team in the NFL from top to botoom. Their fourth string players play as hard as their first stringers.

The New York Giants lost a game to Philly already this season. They won't lose again.

I like the G-Men to cover the 4 point spread in this game.

Santa Anita Pick of the Day: Race 8 - - Grade II San Pasqual Handicap

Well Armed returns to the races after bombing as the chalk in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. He never got into the race in that one.

Can he bounce back in this? I'm not sure that he can. Regular rider Aaron Gryder believes so and so does trainer Eoin Harty.

But I'm not convinced at all. I believe that there's too much speed in the San Pasqual this year and to me that means that taking a flyer on a horse at overlaid odds is the way to go.

Who is that horse? It has to be Marchfield from Mark Casse's barn. Casse usually trains up at Woodbine. He brought a few horses down to Santa Anita and he's been doing pretty good lately. The key is that Patrick Husbands, Marchfield's regular rider, takes the call.

Husbands is an underrated guy. The morning line isn't bad either at 8 to 1.

I'm going to play Marchfield with Past the Point and the Tood Pletcher trained Cowboy Cal in this race.

NBA: Detroit Pistons vs. Utah Jazz

The Detroit Pistons will probably be without both Richard "Rip" Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace in their game tonight against the Utah Jazz.

Because of that, the Jazz, who are 11 and 7 against the spread in their home games so far this season, have been listed as 10 point favorites against the spread.

That's a lot of points and usually I wouldn't even consider an online bet on the Jazz to cover 10 points against a team of Detroit's class, but without Rip and 'Sheed, Detroit has an issue.

The issue won't be with Utah point-guard Derron Williams, even though he's easily one of the best in the NBA. It will be with the Jazz front-line. Mehmet Okur and Paul Milsap have turned into monsters on that front-line. The Jazz haven't missed a beat with Carlos Boozer sidelined.

10 points is a lot but the Jazz are more than capable of covering that.

NFL: Arizona Cardinals vs. Carolina Panthers

The Arizona Cardinals travel to Carolina as huge 10 point underdogs to upset the NFC South Divisional champs.

'Zona played about as well as I believe they can play in last Saturday's victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Their defense did some fantastic things in that game against the Falcons.

What are the chances that they do it again?

Not very good. I understand that this is the playoffs and Larry Fitzgerald is the best wide receiver, in my mind, in the NFL, but the truth is that there's no way that the Cardinals should be close to the Panthers in this game.

Carolina is exceptionally good at home. They should make it to the NFC Championship by beating the Cardinals with ease.

NFL: Baltimore Ravens vs. Tennessee Titans

The Baltimore Ravens take on the Tennessee Titans in a game that many NFL betting fans will get deja vu from.

It was only a couple of months ago when the Tennessee Titans beat the Baltimore Ravens. But I don't think that means squat. To me the Baltimore Ravens are a much different team than what the Titans faced during the regular season.

Quarterback Joe Flacco is turning into one of the better quarterbacks in the league. Running Back Le'Ron McClain is an absolute beast of a man who can run over, through, and around tacklers. The Ravens' defense is easily one of the best, if not the best, in the league.

The Tennessee Titans are 3 point favorites over the Ravens in this Divisional Playoff. Of course, it doesn't really matter, right? I've already made up my mind.

The Ravens win this thing straight-up at online odds of around + 135.

BCS Championship: Florida Gators vs. Oklahoma Sooners

The finale of the 2008 - 2009 College Football Season is tonight when the Florida Gators take on the Oklahoma Sooners in the BCS Championship.

The against the spread line right now is 4 points in favor of the Gators, but Oklahoma has one of the best offenses I've ever seen. All during this Bowl Season I've been saying that the Oklahoma Sooners was one of the best teams I've ever seen.

Then, the other "good" teams in the Big-12 faltered. Oklahoma State lost to Oregon. Texas Tech lost to Ole Miss. Missouri and Texas both failed to cover in their bold games.

Nebraska and Kansas did well but neither one of those teams was considered elite this season.

So, what will Oklahoma do? The Sooners are 1 and 4 against the spread in their last 5 games.

Make that 1 and 6. I just don't see how the Sooners defense can stop Tim Tebow and that Florida Gators' offense. I also don't see how the Sooners offense will be able to rack up 60 points, like they've did 5 times during the regular season, against Florida.

Florida has a great defense. Oklahoma does not. I see Florida frustrating Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford and winning this game by more than the 4 point spread.

Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Texas Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns are ranked number three in the nation, have one of the best quarterbacks in all of college football in Colt McCoy, and go into the Fiesta Bowl as 8 point favorites over the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Are the Buckeyes legitimate 8 point underdogs in this game?

With Terrelle Pryor at quarterback the Bucs always have a chance, but the Big-Ten hasn't been all that hot this Bowl Season.

I'm not sure if I can take Ohio State in this game. They aren't going to stop Texas from scoring and there isn't a better big game coach in NCAAF than Mack Brown.

So, I'm going to say that Texas covers the spread of 8 points in the Fiesta Bowl.

Santa Anita Park Horse Pick of the Day: Grade III Monrovia

I've had mixed feelings regarding the Grade III Monvrovia the past two days.

My first inclination was to dump on Lethal Heat, at I know will be short betting odds, because Heat has such a great record ont he downhill turf course at Santa Anita.

But, then, I began to look harder at the race. Now, my handicapping skills tell me that La Tee is the best bet in the Grade III Monrovia, the eighth race on the card at Santa Anita Park today.

The last time horseplayers saw La Tee, she as struggling home 10th by 13 3/4 lengths in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf Sprint. One of the problems, of course, is that the Turf Sprint was loaded with speed.

Not so today where La Tee figures to be close to either a softer pace or actually even leading the field into the top of the stretch.

I like her to steal the Monrovia on the front end today.

I'll put La Tee with Lethal Heat an the Bobby Frankel trained Jibboom in exactas and trifectas.

Gulfstream Park Pick of the Day: Grade III Hal's Hope

The Grade III Hal's Hope is traditonally the first graded race during Gulfstream Park's winter/spring meet.

It just so happens that a 6 to 1 shot, Now A Victor, is the best bet of the day. The race, going off as the eighth on the card, boasts a few four year olds that didn't do so well on the Derby Trail last year - - namely Anak Nakal and Delightful Kiss.

The issue with both is that they are closers on a track that usually favors some speed. To me, Now A Victor is definitely worth a play as his record of 4 wins and a second from 5 starts makes him a serious contender. He also gets John Velaszquez to ride and the 6 to 1 morning line odds have be tempting, right?

Now A Victor on top of Bribon and National Pride in a huge swing for the fences!

NFL: Indianapolis Colts vs. San Diego Chargers

The Indianapolis Colts come into San Diego riding a nine game win streak and with the MVP of the NFL in tow, Mr. Peyton Manning.

Manning recently just won his third straight MVP. To me, it was a huge upset. I understand that for a couple of weeks there had been talk about Petyon winning the MVP again, but so many players meant so much to their teams this season - - his brother Eli, Kerry Collins in Tennessee, Kurt Warner in Arizona, Adrian Peterson in Minnesota, Philip Rivers in San Diego, "Big" Ben Roethelisberger in Pittsburgh - - that I didn't think they'd give it to Petyon.

Hey, shows you what I know!

In any case, I have the feeling that Indy's going to ride their good fortune into a victory over the Chargers. The betting line is only a single point, the Colts are road favorites, and the Chargers have been playing well, but that Colt's passing game is going to be too much for the Chargers' defensive backs.

I see Indy easily covering the spread and moving on to the second round in the AFC Playoffs.

NFL: Atlanta Falcons vs. Arizona Cardinals

The Atlanta Falcons travel to the Valley of the Sun to take on the Cardinals as 1 point online betting favorites against the spread.

Strange, since the line opened up as Falcons - 2 1/2, I figured if anything more and more NFL betting fans would jump on the Falcons.

A quick look at the injury reporst shows that the Falcons do have some injuries, while Cardinals' star wide receive Anquan Boldin is back, but the Falcons are a much better team than the Cardinals.

In order to succeed in the NFL Playoffs a team needs three things - - a great running game, a quarterback that doesn't make mistakes, and a decent defense.

The Falcons have all three while Arizona only has one, a quarterback that doesn't make mistakes.

So, I'll be riding the Falcons as 1 point favorites in this game. I have no problem putting my faith in Micahel Turner, Matt Ryan and that Falcons' D.

Atlanta should cover easily.